Teen Angst and Other Things

"I turn the lighter over in my hands and read the small writing that's been carefully etched into the side. When I die bury me face down so the whole world can kiss my ass. I giggle and peer up at him with a grin on my face.
"Cute," I say as I point to the lighter.
"Fuck off," he says, but I can see the smile at the corner of his mouth.
"No, I like it."
"Keep it, I have heaps of them. I even have one that says 'get fucked'. I give it to people I hate that ask me for a light. It's out of gas."
"That's amazing," I laugh.
"So is the look on their faces, trust me." I pocket the lighter and look up at Jasper. He's looking back at me, and suddenly, eye contact doesn't seem so bad. I smile, and he smiles back, and it's such a strange moment that I almost forget that I'm sitting in a decrepit old playground with a cigarette in my hand."

When Alice's best friend suddenly disappears on the last day of school, Alice's ordinary life seems to turn on its head. Suddenly, nothing feels certain anymore. Rules that she made for herself are being broken, people are coming into her life that are changing her perception of what being a teenager is about, and she seems to be visiting a lot more dark alleyways than she is used to. That, and she has to learn how to navigate the intense feelings of grief that come with losing a best friend. Friendship, love, loss, grief, adventure and a lot of angst, Alice seems to be experiencing it all.